[Texascavers] Article on KHOU on Twinkie's Cave

2011-08-01 Thread Fofo

�Hola!

Here's an article that I saw today about Twinkie's Cave in Comal County.

http://www.khou.com/news/Local-man-makes-prehistoric-discovery-in-his-own-backyard-125157069.html

Or http://tinyurl.com/3lynqxr

The text of the article is below.

Take care,

 - Fofo

--

SAN ANTONIO -- Somewhere in Comal County is a small parcel of private 
land full of breathtaking views. Hidden amidst the beauty is a 
mysterious entrance to the unknown.
Inside, there is not much space, and it quickly goes from dry to wet. 
That�s because it's a cave full of spring-fed water. And there are 
plenty of creatures living inside.


�There's a small colony of bats in there,� said William �BT� Price, who 
owns the land.


Price bought the land where the hidden cave is located two years ago. 
Now, he's a retired banker who's become an explorer of his own backyard.


The cave is at least a mile in length. Price and friends are constantly 
pushing the limits by going into areas where the water and ceiling are 
separated by inches.


�It can be very dangerous --  very, very dangerous -- if it's not done 
right,� said Price.


Within the unknown lies a familiar treasure from prehistoric times: 
fossils.


�Here's some pieces of mastodon teeth,� said Kurt Menking, who has 
helped Price discover the fossils.


Some of the most exotic discoveries include an almost complete skull of 
a Homotherium, an animal that was part of the saber-tooth tiger family.


Other remains are from beasts you only hear about in movies, like 
10-foot-tall, 8,000-pound sloths.


Concordia University biology professor Laurence Meissner is just one of 
a few professionals to verify the recent discovery.


�Yes, they're legitimate fossils. They lived in the late Ice Age. 
Probably went extinct around 10 to 15 thousand years ago,� Meissner said.


Experts like Meissner said it�s very rare to find fossils in Texas, 
especially animals like the Homotherium found in the local cave.


�It just gives us a record of the past. It tells us what life used to be 
like 10 to 20,000 years ago and it shows there's been substantial change 
in the environment here,� Meissner said.


Price said he plans to continue seeking more fossils in the area he�s 
dubbed �Twinkie�s Cave,� named after his fianc�e�s dog.


Price�s long-term goal is to have the fossils preserved, then donate the 
cave to either a caving group or to state-funded paleontology 
organizations that have seen funding cuts due to budget woes.


-
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Re: [Texascavers] Article on KHOU on Twinkie's Cave

2011-08-01 Thread Andy Gluesenkamp
Those specimens belong in a museum (or in a cave), not on someone's 
bookshelf.  Also, BT oughtta fess up that the fossils are coming from a part of 
the cave on his neighbor's property, not his.

Andy
 Andrew G. Gluesenkamp, Ph.D.
700 Billie Brooks Drive
Driftwood, Texas 78619
(512) 799-1095
a...@gluesenkamp.com 





From: Fofo gonza...@msu.edu
To: texascavers texascavers@texascavers.com
Sent: Mon, August 1, 2011 11:28:05 AM
Subject: [Texascavers] Article on KHOU on Twinkie's Cave

¡Hola!

Here's an article that I saw today about Twinkie's Cave in Comal County.

http://www.khou.com/news/Local-man-makes-prehistoric-discovery-in-his-own-backyard-125157069.html


Or    http://tinyurl.com/3lynqxr

The text of the article is below.

Take care,

    - Fofo

--

SAN ANTONIO -- Somewhere in Comal County is a small parcel of private land full 
of breathtaking views. Hidden amidst the beauty is a mysterious entrance to the 
unknown.
Inside, there is not much space, and it quickly goes from dry to wet. That’s 
because it's a cave full of spring-fed water. And there are plenty of creatures 
living inside.

“There's a small colony of bats in there,” said William “BT” Price, who owns 
the 
land.

Price bought the land where the hidden cave is located two years ago. Now, he's 
a retired banker who's become an explorer of his own backyard.

The cave is at least a mile in length. Price and friends are constantly pushing 
the limits by going into areas where the water and ceiling are separated by 
inches.

“It can be very dangerous --  very, very dangerous -- if it's not done right,” 
said Price.

Within the unknown lies a familiar treasure from prehistoric times: fossils.

“Here's some pieces of mastodon teeth,” said Kurt Menking, who has helped Price 
discover the fossils.

Some of the most exotic discoveries include an almost complete skull of a 
Homotherium, an animal that was part of the saber-tooth tiger family.

Other remains are from beasts you only hear about in movies, like 10-foot-tall, 
8,000-pound sloths.

Concordia University biology professor Laurence Meissner is just one of a few 
professionals to verify the recent discovery.

“Yes, they're legitimate fossils. They lived in the late Ice Age. Probably went 
extinct around 10 to 15 thousand years ago,” Meissner said.

Experts like Meissner said it’s very rare to find fossils in Texas, especially 
animals like the Homotherium found in the local cave.

“It just gives us a record of the past. It tells us what life used to be like 
10 
to 20,000 years ago and it shows there's been substantial change in the 
environment here,” Meissner said.

Price said he plans to continue seeking more fossils in the area he’s dubbed 
“Twinkie’s Cave,” named after his fiancée’s dog.

Price’s long-term goal is to have the fossils preserved, then donate the cave 
to 
either a caving group or to state-funded paleontology organizations that have 
seen funding cuts due to budget woes.

-
Visit our website: http://texascavers.com
To unsubscribe, e-mail: texascavers-unsubscr...@texascavers.com
For additional commands, e-mail: texascavers-h...@texascavers.com

[Texascavers] Article on KHOU on Twinkie's Cave

2011-08-01 Thread Fofo

�Hola!

Here's an article that I saw today about Twinkie's Cave in Comal County.

http://www.khou.com/news/Local-man-makes-prehistoric-discovery-in-his-own-backyard-125157069.html

Or http://tinyurl.com/3lynqxr

The text of the article is below.

Take care,

 - Fofo

--

SAN ANTONIO -- Somewhere in Comal County is a small parcel of private 
land full of breathtaking views. Hidden amidst the beauty is a 
mysterious entrance to the unknown.
Inside, there is not much space, and it quickly goes from dry to wet. 
That�s because it's a cave full of spring-fed water. And there are 
plenty of creatures living inside.


�There's a small colony of bats in there,� said William �BT� Price, who 
owns the land.


Price bought the land where the hidden cave is located two years ago. 
Now, he's a retired banker who's become an explorer of his own backyard.


The cave is at least a mile in length. Price and friends are constantly 
pushing the limits by going into areas where the water and ceiling are 
separated by inches.


�It can be very dangerous --  very, very dangerous -- if it's not done 
right,� said Price.


Within the unknown lies a familiar treasure from prehistoric times: 
fossils.


�Here's some pieces of mastodon teeth,� said Kurt Menking, who has 
helped Price discover the fossils.


Some of the most exotic discoveries include an almost complete skull of 
a Homotherium, an animal that was part of the saber-tooth tiger family.


Other remains are from beasts you only hear about in movies, like 
10-foot-tall, 8,000-pound sloths.


Concordia University biology professor Laurence Meissner is just one of 
a few professionals to verify the recent discovery.


�Yes, they're legitimate fossils. They lived in the late Ice Age. 
Probably went extinct around 10 to 15 thousand years ago,� Meissner said.


Experts like Meissner said it�s very rare to find fossils in Texas, 
especially animals like the Homotherium found in the local cave.


�It just gives us a record of the past. It tells us what life used to be 
like 10 to 20,000 years ago and it shows there's been substantial change 
in the environment here,� Meissner said.


Price said he plans to continue seeking more fossils in the area he�s 
dubbed �Twinkie�s Cave,� named after his fianc�e�s dog.


Price�s long-term goal is to have the fossils preserved, then donate the 
cave to either a caving group or to state-funded paleontology 
organizations that have seen funding cuts due to budget woes.


-
Visit our website: http://texascavers.com
To unsubscribe, e-mail: texascavers-unsubscr...@texascavers.com
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Re: [Texascavers] Article on KHOU on Twinkie's Cave

2011-08-01 Thread Andy Gluesenkamp
Those specimens belong in a museum (or in a cave), not on someone's 
bookshelf.  Also, BT oughtta fess up that the fossils are coming from a part of 
the cave on his neighbor's property, not his.

Andy
 Andrew G. Gluesenkamp, Ph.D.
700 Billie Brooks Drive
Driftwood, Texas 78619
(512) 799-1095
a...@gluesenkamp.com 





From: Fofo gonza...@msu.edu
To: texascavers texascavers@texascavers.com
Sent: Mon, August 1, 2011 11:28:05 AM
Subject: [Texascavers] Article on KHOU on Twinkie's Cave

¡Hola!

Here's an article that I saw today about Twinkie's Cave in Comal County.

http://www.khou.com/news/Local-man-makes-prehistoric-discovery-in-his-own-backyard-125157069.html


Or    http://tinyurl.com/3lynqxr

The text of the article is below.

Take care,

    - Fofo

--

SAN ANTONIO -- Somewhere in Comal County is a small parcel of private land full 
of breathtaking views. Hidden amidst the beauty is a mysterious entrance to the 
unknown.
Inside, there is not much space, and it quickly goes from dry to wet. That’s 
because it's a cave full of spring-fed water. And there are plenty of creatures 
living inside.

“There's a small colony of bats in there,” said William “BT” Price, who owns 
the 
land.

Price bought the land where the hidden cave is located two years ago. Now, he's 
a retired banker who's become an explorer of his own backyard.

The cave is at least a mile in length. Price and friends are constantly pushing 
the limits by going into areas where the water and ceiling are separated by 
inches.

“It can be very dangerous --  very, very dangerous -- if it's not done right,” 
said Price.

Within the unknown lies a familiar treasure from prehistoric times: fossils.

“Here's some pieces of mastodon teeth,” said Kurt Menking, who has helped Price 
discover the fossils.

Some of the most exotic discoveries include an almost complete skull of a 
Homotherium, an animal that was part of the saber-tooth tiger family.

Other remains are from beasts you only hear about in movies, like 10-foot-tall, 
8,000-pound sloths.

Concordia University biology professor Laurence Meissner is just one of a few 
professionals to verify the recent discovery.

“Yes, they're legitimate fossils. They lived in the late Ice Age. Probably went 
extinct around 10 to 15 thousand years ago,” Meissner said.

Experts like Meissner said it’s very rare to find fossils in Texas, especially 
animals like the Homotherium found in the local cave.

“It just gives us a record of the past. It tells us what life used to be like 
10 
to 20,000 years ago and it shows there's been substantial change in the 
environment here,” Meissner said.

Price said he plans to continue seeking more fossils in the area he’s dubbed 
“Twinkie’s Cave,” named after his fiancée’s dog.

Price’s long-term goal is to have the fossils preserved, then donate the cave 
to 
either a caving group or to state-funded paleontology organizations that have 
seen funding cuts due to budget woes.

-
Visit our website: http://texascavers.com
To unsubscribe, e-mail: texascavers-unsubscr...@texascavers.com
For additional commands, e-mail: texascavers-h...@texascavers.com

RE: [Texascavers] Article on KHOU on Twinkie's Cave

2011-08-01 Thread Marvin Lisa
BT and Will (the owner of the upstream entrances) have been very
conscientious about taking finds to several professors at UT and have
developed some good relationships with them. One fellow even took a tour of
the cave recently. The truth is that the university doesn't have the funds
to run a project at the cave right now. BT and Will would be more than happy
to accomodate them. What has been suggested to to BT is that he maintain the
collection and sometime in the near future he will get some assistance
(probably unpaid) to catalogue the items, but they will stay with him (or
Will) for now. Immediately after the first bones were found - which was also
coincident with finding the upstream entrances - BT and Will worked out an
agreement for how to deal with any finds. 
 
You know that news stories don't always give you the whole picture.
 
Marvin Miller

  _  

From: Andy Gluesenkamp [mailto:andrew_gluesenk...@yahoo.com] 
Sent: Monday, August 01, 2011 11:44 AM
To: Fofo; texascavers
Subject: Re: [Texascavers] Article on KHOU on Twinkie's Cave


Those specimens belong in a museum (or in a cave), not on someone's
bookshelf.  Also, BT oughtta fess up that the fossils are coming from a part
of the cave on his neighbor's property, not his.
 
Andy
 
Andrew G. Gluesenkamp, Ph.D.
700 Billie Brooks Drive
Driftwood, Texas 78619
(512) 799-1095
a...@gluesenkamp.com 


  _  

From: Fofo gonza...@msu.edu
To: texascavers texascavers@texascavers.com
Sent: Mon, August 1, 2011 11:28:05 AM
Subject: [Texascavers] Article on KHOU on Twinkie's Cave

¡Hola!

Here's an article that I saw today about Twinkie's Cave in Comal County.

http://www.khou.com/news/Local-man-makes-prehistoric-discovery-in-his-own-ba
ckyard-125157069.html

Orhttp://tinyurl.com/3lynqxr

The text of the article is below.

Take care,

- Fofo

--

SAN ANTONIO -- Somewhere in Comal County is a small parcel of private land
full of breathtaking views. Hidden amidst the beauty is a mysterious
entrance to the unknown.
Inside, there is not much space, and it quickly goes from dry to wet. That’s
because it's a cave full of spring-fed water. And there are plenty of
creatures living inside.

“There's a small colony of bats in there,” said William “BT” Price, who owns
the land.

Price bought the land where the hidden cave is located two years ago. Now,
he's a retired banker who's become an explorer of his own backyard.

The cave is at least a mile in length. Price and friends are constantly
pushing the limits by going into areas where the water and ceiling are
separated by inches.

“It can be very dangerous --  very, very dangerous -- if it's not done
right,” said Price.

Within the unknown lies a familiar treasure from prehistoric times: fossils.

“Here's some pieces of mastodon teeth,” said Kurt Menking, who has helped
Price discover the fossils.

Some of the most exotic discoveries include an almost complete skull of a
Homotherium, an animal that was part of the saber-tooth tiger family.

Other remains are from beasts you only hear about in movies, like
10-foot-tall, 8,000-pound sloths.

Concordia University biology professor Laurence Meissner is just one of a
few professionals to verify the recent discovery.

“Yes, they're legitimate fossils. They lived in the late Ice Age. Probably
went extinct around 10 to 15 thousand years ago,” Meissner said.

Experts like Meissner said it’s very rare to find fossils in Texas,
especially animals like the Homotherium found in the local cave.

“It just gives us a record of the past. It tells us what life used to be
like 10 to 20,000 years ago and it shows there's been substantial change in
the environment here,” Meissner said.

Price said he plans to continue seeking more fossils in the area he’s dubbed
“Twinkie’s Cave,” named after his fiancée’s dog.

Price’s long-term goal is to have the fossils preserved, then donate the
cave to either a caving group or to state-funded paleontology organizations
that have seen funding cuts due to budget woes.

-
Visit our website: http://texascavers.com http://texascavers.com/ 
To unsubscribe, e-mail: texascavers-unsubscr...@texascavers.com
For additional commands, e-mail: texascavers-h...@texascavers.com




[Texascavers] Article on KHOU on Twinkie's Cave

2011-08-01 Thread Fofo

�Hola!

Here's an article that I saw today about Twinkie's Cave in Comal County.

http://www.khou.com/news/Local-man-makes-prehistoric-discovery-in-his-own-backyard-125157069.html

Or http://tinyurl.com/3lynqxr

The text of the article is below.

Take care,

 - Fofo

--

SAN ANTONIO -- Somewhere in Comal County is a small parcel of private 
land full of breathtaking views. Hidden amidst the beauty is a 
mysterious entrance to the unknown.
Inside, there is not much space, and it quickly goes from dry to wet. 
That�s because it's a cave full of spring-fed water. And there are 
plenty of creatures living inside.


�There's a small colony of bats in there,� said William �BT� Price, who 
owns the land.


Price bought the land where the hidden cave is located two years ago. 
Now, he's a retired banker who's become an explorer of his own backyard.


The cave is at least a mile in length. Price and friends are constantly 
pushing the limits by going into areas where the water and ceiling are 
separated by inches.


�It can be very dangerous --  very, very dangerous -- if it's not done 
right,� said Price.


Within the unknown lies a familiar treasure from prehistoric times: 
fossils.


�Here's some pieces of mastodon teeth,� said Kurt Menking, who has 
helped Price discover the fossils.


Some of the most exotic discoveries include an almost complete skull of 
a Homotherium, an animal that was part of the saber-tooth tiger family.


Other remains are from beasts you only hear about in movies, like 
10-foot-tall, 8,000-pound sloths.


Concordia University biology professor Laurence Meissner is just one of 
a few professionals to verify the recent discovery.


�Yes, they're legitimate fossils. They lived in the late Ice Age. 
Probably went extinct around 10 to 15 thousand years ago,� Meissner said.


Experts like Meissner said it�s very rare to find fossils in Texas, 
especially animals like the Homotherium found in the local cave.


�It just gives us a record of the past. It tells us what life used to be 
like 10 to 20,000 years ago and it shows there's been substantial change 
in the environment here,� Meissner said.


Price said he plans to continue seeking more fossils in the area he�s 
dubbed �Twinkie�s Cave,� named after his fianc�e�s dog.


Price�s long-term goal is to have the fossils preserved, then donate the 
cave to either a caving group or to state-funded paleontology 
organizations that have seen funding cuts due to budget woes.


-
Visit our website: http://texascavers.com
To unsubscribe, e-mail: texascavers-unsubscr...@texascavers.com
For additional commands, e-mail: texascavers-h...@texascavers.com



Re: [Texascavers] Article on KHOU on Twinkie's Cave

2011-08-01 Thread Andy Gluesenkamp
Those specimens belong in a museum (or in a cave), not on someone's 
bookshelf.  Also, BT oughtta fess up that the fossils are coming from a part of 
the cave on his neighbor's property, not his.

Andy
 Andrew G. Gluesenkamp, Ph.D.
700 Billie Brooks Drive
Driftwood, Texas 78619
(512) 799-1095
a...@gluesenkamp.com 





From: Fofo gonza...@msu.edu
To: texascavers texascavers@texascavers.com
Sent: Mon, August 1, 2011 11:28:05 AM
Subject: [Texascavers] Article on KHOU on Twinkie's Cave

¡Hola!

Here's an article that I saw today about Twinkie's Cave in Comal County.

http://www.khou.com/news/Local-man-makes-prehistoric-discovery-in-his-own-backyard-125157069.html


Or    http://tinyurl.com/3lynqxr

The text of the article is below.

Take care,

    - Fofo

--

SAN ANTONIO -- Somewhere in Comal County is a small parcel of private land full 
of breathtaking views. Hidden amidst the beauty is a mysterious entrance to the 
unknown.
Inside, there is not much space, and it quickly goes from dry to wet. That’s 
because it's a cave full of spring-fed water. And there are plenty of creatures 
living inside.

“There's a small colony of bats in there,” said William “BT” Price, who owns 
the 
land.

Price bought the land where the hidden cave is located two years ago. Now, he's 
a retired banker who's become an explorer of his own backyard.

The cave is at least a mile in length. Price and friends are constantly pushing 
the limits by going into areas where the water and ceiling are separated by 
inches.

“It can be very dangerous --  very, very dangerous -- if it's not done right,” 
said Price.

Within the unknown lies a familiar treasure from prehistoric times: fossils.

“Here's some pieces of mastodon teeth,” said Kurt Menking, who has helped Price 
discover the fossils.

Some of the most exotic discoveries include an almost complete skull of a 
Homotherium, an animal that was part of the saber-tooth tiger family.

Other remains are from beasts you only hear about in movies, like 10-foot-tall, 
8,000-pound sloths.

Concordia University biology professor Laurence Meissner is just one of a few 
professionals to verify the recent discovery.

“Yes, they're legitimate fossils. They lived in the late Ice Age. Probably went 
extinct around 10 to 15 thousand years ago,” Meissner said.

Experts like Meissner said it’s very rare to find fossils in Texas, especially 
animals like the Homotherium found in the local cave.

“It just gives us a record of the past. It tells us what life used to be like 
10 
to 20,000 years ago and it shows there's been substantial change in the 
environment here,” Meissner said.

Price said he plans to continue seeking more fossils in the area he’s dubbed 
“Twinkie’s Cave,” named after his fiancée’s dog.

Price’s long-term goal is to have the fossils preserved, then donate the cave 
to 
either a caving group or to state-funded paleontology organizations that have 
seen funding cuts due to budget woes.

-
Visit our website: http://texascavers.com
To unsubscribe, e-mail: texascavers-unsubscr...@texascavers.com
For additional commands, e-mail: texascavers-h...@texascavers.com

RE: [Texascavers] Article on KHOU on Twinkie's Cave

2011-08-01 Thread Marvin Lisa
BT and Will (the owner of the upstream entrances) have been very
conscientious about taking finds to several professors at UT and have
developed some good relationships with them. One fellow even took a tour of
the cave recently. The truth is that the university doesn't have the funds
to run a project at the cave right now. BT and Will would be more than happy
to accomodate them. What has been suggested to to BT is that he maintain the
collection and sometime in the near future he will get some assistance
(probably unpaid) to catalogue the items, but they will stay with him (or
Will) for now. Immediately after the first bones were found - which was also
coincident with finding the upstream entrances - BT and Will worked out an
agreement for how to deal with any finds. 
 
You know that news stories don't always give you the whole picture.
 
Marvin Miller

  _  

From: Andy Gluesenkamp [mailto:andrew_gluesenk...@yahoo.com] 
Sent: Monday, August 01, 2011 11:44 AM
To: Fofo; texascavers
Subject: Re: [Texascavers] Article on KHOU on Twinkie's Cave


Those specimens belong in a museum (or in a cave), not on someone's
bookshelf.  Also, BT oughtta fess up that the fossils are coming from a part
of the cave on his neighbor's property, not his.
 
Andy
 
Andrew G. Gluesenkamp, Ph.D.
700 Billie Brooks Drive
Driftwood, Texas 78619
(512) 799-1095
a...@gluesenkamp.com 


  _  

From: Fofo gonza...@msu.edu
To: texascavers texascavers@texascavers.com
Sent: Mon, August 1, 2011 11:28:05 AM
Subject: [Texascavers] Article on KHOU on Twinkie's Cave

¡Hola!

Here's an article that I saw today about Twinkie's Cave in Comal County.

http://www.khou.com/news/Local-man-makes-prehistoric-discovery-in-his-own-ba
ckyard-125157069.html

Orhttp://tinyurl.com/3lynqxr

The text of the article is below.

Take care,

- Fofo

--

SAN ANTONIO -- Somewhere in Comal County is a small parcel of private land
full of breathtaking views. Hidden amidst the beauty is a mysterious
entrance to the unknown.
Inside, there is not much space, and it quickly goes from dry to wet. That’s
because it's a cave full of spring-fed water. And there are plenty of
creatures living inside.

“There's a small colony of bats in there,” said William “BT” Price, who owns
the land.

Price bought the land where the hidden cave is located two years ago. Now,
he's a retired banker who's become an explorer of his own backyard.

The cave is at least a mile in length. Price and friends are constantly
pushing the limits by going into areas where the water and ceiling are
separated by inches.

“It can be very dangerous --  very, very dangerous -- if it's not done
right,” said Price.

Within the unknown lies a familiar treasure from prehistoric times: fossils.

“Here's some pieces of mastodon teeth,” said Kurt Menking, who has helped
Price discover the fossils.

Some of the most exotic discoveries include an almost complete skull of a
Homotherium, an animal that was part of the saber-tooth tiger family.

Other remains are from beasts you only hear about in movies, like
10-foot-tall, 8,000-pound sloths.

Concordia University biology professor Laurence Meissner is just one of a
few professionals to verify the recent discovery.

“Yes, they're legitimate fossils. They lived in the late Ice Age. Probably
went extinct around 10 to 15 thousand years ago,” Meissner said.

Experts like Meissner said it’s very rare to find fossils in Texas,
especially animals like the Homotherium found in the local cave.

“It just gives us a record of the past. It tells us what life used to be
like 10 to 20,000 years ago and it shows there's been substantial change in
the environment here,” Meissner said.

Price said he plans to continue seeking more fossils in the area he’s dubbed
“Twinkie’s Cave,” named after his fiancée’s dog.

Price’s long-term goal is to have the fossils preserved, then donate the
cave to either a caving group or to state-funded paleontology organizations
that have seen funding cuts due to budget woes.

-
Visit our website: http://texascavers.com http://texascavers.com/ 
To unsubscribe, e-mail: texascavers-unsubscr...@texascavers.com
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